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Utica College Adopts 'Low-Risk' E-Book Platform

Utica College in New York is expanding its collection of electronic books using a system that allows the college to purchase only the e-books that library patrons actually use. After evaluating a number of vendors, the school selected eBooks on EBSCOhost from EBSCO Publishing. The library staff had previous experience using EBSCOhost databases and were attracted to EBSCO's Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) program, according to information released by the college.

Under the PDA program, libraries purchase only those books that patrons directly access through the system. "Offering abundant PDA titles while not incurring any costs until triggered by genuine use is a major selling point in budgeting," said Jan Malcheski, coordinator of electronic resources at the college, in a prepared statement. "PDA represents an ideal low-risk investment for use of library resources."

eBooks on EBSCOhost offers more than 350,000 e-books and audiobooks. In addition to the PDA program, they are available through a variety of purchase, lease, and subscription options, either individually or as subject sets, featured collections, or custom collections.

Users can access the e-books on a variety of electronic devices, including iPad, Kindle, Nook, Sony digital readers, and others. A dedicated landing page provides advanced search options, browsing options, and search history. The e-book carousel interface enables users to browse titles by scrolling through covers.

According to the company, "EBSCO proactively acquires new content in critical areas based on the dynamic needs of libraries," and they include no markups and no additional fees.

Further information about eBooks on EBSCOhost is available through the EBSCOhost site.

About the Author

Leila Meyer is a technology writer based in British Columbia. She can be reached at leilameyer@gmail.com.